The Obama-era executive order that shields some undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children from deportation will remain for now after the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday took no action to hear a request by the Trump administration to review a case challenging the program.

But the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, which was created in 2012, remains uncertain, leaving those in New Jersey who benefit from the program in continued limbo.

"Do they prepare themselves to live a life relegated to shadows they walked out of 7 years ago in the US? Or do they prepare themselves to go back to a country they barely know?'' said Brian Lozano, a community organizer for Wind of the Spirit, an organization based in Morristown that lobbies for DACA recipients and other immigrants.

"Those are the practical questions that linger. And those considerations are present around the clock," he wrote in an email. "I've witnessed those considerations trigger anxiety and panic attacks in community members."

Because the Supreme Court took no action on the case, it means those with DACA can continue to renew their two-year protections, as well as work permits. The Supreme Court is scheduled to meet again Feb. 15 to decide which cases it will hear in the fall.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is scheduled to hear oral arguments Friday in a lawsuit filed in New York after the Trump administration announced the termination of DACA.

"This is good news today, but the continuing crisis, 'Dreamers' having to live court date to court date is not going to end just because the Supreme Court hasn't taken it up'' said Sara Cullinane, of Make the Road New Jersey. "We are getting calls from people concerned about the future of the program."

President Donald Trump's administration announced it would end DACA in September 2017, but federal court decisions have blocked him from terminating the program. On Saturday, Trump included DACA as part of an offer to end the partial government shutdown, the longest in the country's history. Trump's offer, in part, included a three-year extension of DACA in return for $5.7 billion for a border wall. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the offer a "non-starter."

On Tuesday, some DACA holders in New Jersey continued their calls for comprehensive immigration reform that includes elements of the Dream Act, a legislative proposal that called for granting legal residency for undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children.

"A proper way to handle the DACA situation is to revisit the Dream Act and turn the temporary fix, DACA, into a well developed, bipartisan deal that provides a path to citizenship for DACA recipients,'' said Joana Costa of Union, a DACA recipient.

Esder Chong, of New Brunswick, said her first reaction was that it was great news, because it allows her to keep her DACA status, but she was also reminded of how precarious the situation is for her and others in the undocumented community.

“I don’t think people understand how DACA affects our daily lives when it is politicized in the news,’’ she said. “I’m still not going to be satisfied in the sense of safety and belonging, without some sort of permanent legislative solution to legally acknowledge my humanity in the country that I call home.”

She said Trump's latest offer was a reminder of how much still needs to be done to find a solution.

“The shutdown is a clear example of how stuck we are, in terms of moving forward, in terms of immigration reform,’’ she said. “For me, the wall is just not some kind of physical architecture, but really a message from a country I call home that immigrants, which encompasses more than just DACA, that they are just not welcomed here, and I don’t think people in the government realize that the immigrant community is more than DACA.”

Cullinane, of Make the Road New Jersey, said Trump is holding DACA recipients hostage.

"In reality, we see the Trump administration taking advantage of this uncertainty with the courts to push an anti-immigrant agenda,'' she said. "Trump ended DACA, he created this crisis, and what we really need is for DACA to be reinstated, and to have a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and others."

There are about 700,000 undocumented immigrants who have DACA protection, including more than 17,000 from New Jersey.

DACA allows those who qualify to receive Social Security numbers, work permits and temporary protection from deportation. The program does not provide a path to citizenship, but it allows qualifying undocumented immigrants to live and work legally in the United States and, in some states, including New Jersey, apply for driver’s licenses without fear of deportation.